What a great selection of tiger cubs, i had my sports cub in 1966 at the age of 16 to go to college on. Fell in love with motorbikes then and still riding now on a tiger 900 gt pro. Did 3,500 miles this tear across Europe. Regards from UK
Wow what a lucky guy to be able to tour The Triumph factory and the BSA factory! I sure especially wish the BSA factory was still with us! Although I loved the Triumphs to!
I had a 62 Cub as my first proper bike when I was 16, 52 years ago. Paintwork was black and ivory. I had a love/hate relationship with it - it was great when it was running well, but it had a leaky carb, lots of oil leaks and eventually ate the big end. I learned a lot about engines while I had that, and later made a career as a car mechanic. When I see one now, I wonder how I fitted on it, I was 6' 3" at that age. I found the workshop manual in the back of a drawer recently and it brought back memories, flicking through it. It didn't put me off Triumphs permanently, though - I've had my 78 T140V for 30 years now and I love it, but I look after it a lot better than my 16-year-old self did with the Cub.
Two old school salesmen when they meet are always completely polite, like an art! Yes, these Tiger Cubs are wonderful, when I saw Paul Henshaw ride one I immediately thought it is a perfect motorcycle!
I was 10 yrs old in 1969. My dad bought a used Triumph Cub (orange tank) for my older brother to ride in the dirt. All this time I thought it was a 300. We have Super 8 movies of my brother getting 3-6" of air off a dirt jump. I rode a 1969 Honda Mini-Trail. You could ride where ever ya wanted in Southern California (Cucamonga).
Cool collection, and my late dad's favorite triumph model after the 55 t100 He bought one brand new,and would often recall memories of riding his cub, many years later he could tell from the exhaust note alone of an approaching cub He called the exhaust note the cub fop! How cool for wiley to have been involved with jo- mo back in the day! Was there ever a sweeter looking bike than a triumph,well for my late dad and I, triumph had it in the looks department! The colours that came on these cubs is simply jaw dropping! Thanks mike for bringing us along! Happy memories😀
Ask him about the Mustang he referred to! I learned to ride a motorcycle at 13 on a Mustang in 1958. The paperboy in our neighborhood had one and taught me to ride it. It was the 1st vehicle of any kind I ever rode with a manual transmission.
WOW, what a collection, I’ve had loads of Tiger Cubs, went fishing on so many of them, got chased off the rivers so many times in Gloucestershire by the bailiffs. Great memories.
That's made my day in fact the weekend Mike. The 'Sports Cub' one of my all time favourites Cherry Red & Sliver. A fantastic collection, thanks to Wiley for sharing & please get him to sit down with you for a chat asap Mike, would love to hear some of his 'life' stories. atvb t ..
just imagine the life wiley has lived to have had bsa and triumph factory tours and what a collection of bikes i went to armoury road last sept only the bsa airgun building left what a huge site it was !
Greetings from Calderdale Mike, thank you again for another interesting video. I seem to recall that the BSA C15 was based on the Triumph T15 Terrier and T20 Tiger Cub motors. In 1961 when UK learners were restricted to 250cc, the 199cc Tiger Cub was a very popular choice for beginning motorcycling, with it's lightweight and powerful Edward Turner designed motor giving a top speed of 74 mph, it was faster than some British 250cc machines of that era.
I guess not everyone clicked to the title “Tiger tiger burning bright In the forest of the night What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry”
Great video, amazing story and fantastic collection. I've had the pleasure of owning 2 cubs - a '66 mountain cub which I ride regularly and a '63 Scrambler (1 of 367) which I about about to recommission on my channel. Thanks so much for making this video so we could all enjoy!
Thanks very much for your note. It was a pleasure visiting Wiley and hearing about his amazing collection. They are absolutely immaculate. They look like jewelry! Best wishes, Mike
My first bike was a Tiger cub in 1975 it was a 1968 Bantam cub , basically a tiger cub in a BSA D10 Bantam frame one of the last of the tiger cubs produced. Tiger cubs were popular over here, as I'm sure you know, as were BSA bantams and Royal Enfield Crusaders as they were bikes a learner could ride ( the law was under 250cc at the time), stick an L plate on and away you go! Tiger Cubs were the baby Bonnies. Fantastic collection.
Wiley's enthusiasm for those bikes is clear and infectious - I was grinning like a maniac throughout! Please add me to the list of people wanting more stories...
I had a Cub back 73’ ish, it was a bitter sweet experience. Mine was tuned up and very fast, but a bugger to start and bits fell off and broke left right and center. Great fun but you never knew when you’d get home lol
I had a '58 T20, road model with nacelle and rear enclosure a little like the larger "bathtub " model. Rode it to France one summer . Parts were always tricky when I had it, had to make woodruff keys I remember, it used to snap the one on the clutch shaft with its massive power!
My best buddy in Hi school had one. I had a Norton Electra 400cc. I lo ved the egg shaped tanks on the Triumphs, so I got a Bonneville. Had to sell her when Uncle Sam called me up in Nov. 1967. Sold her and regretted it. Got a Triumph Trophy Sports ( Single Carb. Bonne. ) now, but quit riding because of stupid a-holes on smart arse [hones trying to kill me ! All 4 of my bikes are garage queens now. But this guy has some awesome collection in his kitchen !
Interesting video Mike. I always had a fondness for the Tiger Cub growing up. Never had one though. I had several friends that bought Tiger Cub's and the found out that they were not highway bikes as the engines all blew up. Of course they fixed them but put them into lighter duty. I am like you though Mike, they sure are a pretty little machine!. There were also a few of the BSA Bantams around back then as well
Thanks to you and Wiley for this look at his collection of scrumptious Cubs. If he were a coin collector, Wiley'd be the guy with a complete run, all dates AND mintmarks, of Mercury Dimes or Buffalo Nickels, or something else just a bit archaic, challenging and even reference-worthy, just like his Cubs. In fact, I wouldn't be the least surprised to learn he WAS also a numismatist. What might surprise many Americans is just how significant those 200cc Cubs were in the British motorcycling landscape back in their day. Unlike here, where their larger capacity twins is where Triumph made their largest mark, shortly after introducing the Cub models in the UK, they changed the motoring laws there, about 1960 or so, to restrict new learner riders to fewer than 250ccs, which they'd have to survive on for at least a year or so before taking the "full test" and being allowed to step up onto anything larger. This rather unintentionally threw the Cubs into a sort of market "sweet spot", making them the object of desire for any red-blooded pimply/spotty teen or young man who wanted something "noice" for a time. My hunch is there must be hordes of geezers about my age yonder in the UK who'd go all misty-eyed with nostalgia if they stumbled into Wiley's garage.
Ten minutes and 3 seconds of pure bliss! Thank-you Mike and Wiley so much. Mike, you must follow this up with another interview with Wiley - the sooner the better. I suspect he has a lot of interesting tails to tell... Back in the day, I had a 1962 T20SH, bought for £25 from a pal at work. I "modified" it for off road use and had hours of fun on it. Happy days...
Your collection is impressive. I’m familiar with Johnson’s growing up near Duarte. My first ride on a borrowed bike was a 200cc Cub prepped for the SoCal desert. I was hooked. 50 years later I’d like to find a Cub that I could do the same. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Thanks a lot Stephen. Yes, many are local fellas in the vintage motorcycle scene. The Portland and Vancouver (Washington state) vintage motorcycle scene is quite vibrant. Best wishes, Mike
I bought a new Triumph T20SH 'Sports' Cub in '65 and did 26000 miles in 3 years including 2 Isle-of-Man 'TT's and 2 'Dragon' Rallies held in February in wild Wales. A great little bike. Sold it in '69 and bought a BSA 441cc Shooting Star....very disappointing.
Thanks a lot for your note. I appreciate it. Wow, that's amazing mileage on a Cub! Hopefully there's more coming soon on Triumph Tiger cubs. Best wishes, Mike
Hi John, good luck with your search. They pop up from time to time and are not too expensive. I'll let you know if I see any, but the shipping would probably not make it worthwhile. Cheers, Mike
@@johnburgess9185 Hi John I’m in Portland, Oregon, USA. I buy a lot of parts from Europe in the UK, but I’ve never shipped a bike one way or the other. I’ve heard interesting stories about guys shipping bikes in pieces 😉
What a great selection of tiger cubs, i had my sports cub in 1966 at the age of 16 to go to college on. Fell in love with motorbikes then and still riding now on a tiger 900 gt pro. Did 3,500 miles this tear across Europe.
Regards from UK
Thanks a lot Dave for sharing. Yes, that is an amazing collection! I hope you have a great 2023! Cheers, Mike
Wow what a lovely gent so proud of his Tigers thank`s Mike 😜👍
The Cub is an elegant little motorcycle. I wouldn't mind owning a trials Cub.
Wow what a lucky guy to be able to tour The Triumph factory and the BSA factory! I sure especially wish the BSA factory was still with us! Although I loved the Triumphs to!
In 74 I had the 66 and I was only 14! It was insane fun riding this off road at boarding school. Along with a friend who had a Villers 200cc.
Man oh man,not too many of these guys left.
Almost like WW ll vets...
Thank You Sir..........
Thank you so much for taking us along to meet Mr. Wiley and his beautiful collection of Cubs!!!
Brilliant great little bikes ❤️🇬🇧👍
Morning from the UK Mike. Thanks for the Sunday video.
He is the coolest guy in the world
Wiley is living proof of a real enthusiast ! Absolutely fabulous, thank you Wiley ( sir ) much respect … Ray 🇬🇧
Thanks Mike. 👍
Love the visits to these enthusiasts. Makes me smile to see and hear the love the owners have for their bikes.
I had a 62 Cub as my first proper bike when I was 16, 52 years ago. Paintwork was black and ivory. I had a love/hate relationship with it - it was great when it was running well, but it had a leaky carb, lots of oil leaks and eventually ate the big end. I learned a lot about engines while I had that, and later made a career as a car mechanic. When I see one now, I wonder how I fitted on it, I was 6' 3" at that age.
I found the workshop manual in the back of a drawer recently and it brought back memories, flicking through it. It didn't put me off Triumphs permanently, though - I've had my 78 T140V for 30 years now and I love it, but I look after it a lot better than my 16-year-old self did with the Cub.
What a beautiful collection! I have a Bonneville but my heart yearns for a Cub as well. As you say, like jewellery!
Two old school salesmen when they meet are always completely polite, like an art! Yes, these Tiger Cubs are wonderful, when I saw Paul Henshaw ride one I immediately thought it is a perfect motorcycle!
man to be there for the entire hey-day..., guess I need a 65 now
A Man with such Cub knowledge. Thank you for your information.
Wow, what a collection Mike! Looking forward to seeing and hearing more of Wiley 👍🏻
Thank you Steve! Working on it right now 😉
2021
Gotta appreciate his experience and enthusiasm for the jewel like Cubs.
A lovely gentleman and his superb collection, they are absolutely gorgeous. Very kind of him to let us see them.
What a gentleman 👏
Such a great conversation and pretty awesome cubs.
I was 10 yrs old in 1969. My dad bought a used Triumph Cub (orange tank) for my older brother to ride in the dirt. All this time I thought it was a 300. We have Super 8 movies of my brother getting 3-6" of air off a dirt jump. I rode a 1969 Honda Mini-Trail. You could ride where ever ya wanted in Southern California (Cucamonga).
Fantastic collection!
What a great guy.
Wow what a treasure
The best bike Triumph ever built as they were so reliable a d better that the other British 250’s of the era. Very interesting again Mike thank you
This guy knows his stuff.
you are a seldom breed -just like the bikes - thanks 4 the show - i love that stuff
Great video of Wiley's collection. Well done!
Really smashing collection. Such a nice guy too.
Couldn't agree more! Thanks a lot Ian. Your note is really appreciated. Cheers, Mike
Isn't it great when someone doesn't mind sharing and giving there time so spirited and freely.
Cool collection, and my late dad's favorite triumph model after the 55 t100
He bought one brand new,and would often recall memories of riding his cub, many years later he could tell from the exhaust note alone of an approaching cub
He called the exhaust note the cub fop!
How cool for wiley to have been involved with jo- mo back in the day!
Was there ever a sweeter looking bike than a triumph,well for my late dad and I, triumph had it in the looks department!
The colours that came on these cubs is simply jaw dropping!
Thanks mike for bringing us along!
Happy memories😀
Many thanks!!
Such a lovely gentleman, & what a collection of beautiful machines .
Thankyou Mike 👍
Thank you Greg! My pleasure.
Thank you Mike and Wiley! Wonderful collection.
Ask him about the Mustang he referred to! I learned to ride a motorcycle at 13 on a Mustang in 1958. The paperboy in our neighborhood had one and taught me to ride it. It was the 1st vehicle of any kind I ever rode with a manual transmission.
Thanks Fred. There's something in the works 😉👍
You never know what's hiding in peoples garages. Bloody hell amazing.
I know just what you mean. It's incredible to see what's in these garages. I love getting the sneak preview of these Aladdin's caves 😉
Just brilliant! What a fantastic collection and a lovely gentleman. See if you can cadge a ride!
I'd love to! Best wishes, Mike
Beautiful collection! The orange ones look amazing! And do return for the rest of the stories.
WOW, what a collection, I’ve had loads of Tiger Cubs, went fishing on so many of them, got chased off the rivers so many times in Gloucestershire by the bailiffs. Great memories.
you find the nicest people on a Triumph
That's made my day in fact the weekend Mike.
The 'Sports Cub' one of my all time favourites Cherry Red & Sliver.
A fantastic collection, thanks to Wiley for sharing & please get him to sit down with you for a chat asap Mike, would love to hear some of his 'life' stories.
atvb t ..
just imagine the life wiley has lived to have had bsa and triumph factory tours and what a collection of bikes i went to armoury road last sept only the bsa airgun building left what a huge site it was !
One of your best interviews! Thank you!
Wow, thank you John! Really appreciate it. Best wishes, Mike
Greetings from Calderdale Mike, thank you again for another interesting video. I seem to recall that the BSA C15 was based on the Triumph T15 Terrier and T20 Tiger Cub motors. In 1961 when UK learners were restricted to 250cc, the 199cc Tiger Cub was a very popular choice for beginning motorcycling, with it's lightweight and powerful Edward Turner designed motor giving a top speed of 74 mph, it was faster than some British 250cc machines of that era.
What an absolute gent Wiley is. Thank you for uploading this gem.
What an amazing collection 👍
Bet he has a few tales to tell about Triumph and Johnson motorcycles, should be interesting 😀
Thanks for sharing Mike 🇬🇧😎
Thanks a lot David. I'm hoping to go back very soon to capture more about Wiley's time at Johnson Motors & Triumph / BSA! Best wishes, Mike
I guess not everyone clicked to the title
“Tiger tiger burning bright
In the forest of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry”
Hehe, thanks a lot for noticing that 😉
Ooh we love our bikes thank you for posting Mike
Simply stunning !!
Such a beautiful collection of Cubs! Awesome, looking forward to your next meeting ,thanks for sharing. 👍🏴
Great and Rare video, did you know that 40 Triumph Tiger Cubs are equal to 1 502 cu in Boss Hoss
Quite the time capsules he's got there. Looking forward to hearing more of his stories.
What a beautiful collection of Cubs. Sat my test on one which I’ll never ever forget but that’s another story❤️
2022
Great video, amazing story and fantastic collection. I've had the pleasure of owning 2 cubs - a '66 mountain cub which I ride regularly and a '63 Scrambler (1 of 367) which I about about to recommission on my channel. Thanks so much for making this video so we could all enjoy!
Thanks very much for your note. It was a pleasure visiting Wiley and hearing about his amazing collection. They are absolutely immaculate. They look like jewelry! Best wishes, Mike
My first bike was a Tiger cub in 1975 it was a 1968 Bantam cub , basically a tiger cub in a BSA D10 Bantam frame one of the last of the tiger cubs produced. Tiger cubs were popular over here, as I'm sure you know, as were BSA bantams and Royal Enfield Crusaders as they were bikes a learner could ride ( the law was under 250cc at the time), stick an L plate on and away you go! Tiger Cubs were the baby Bonnies. Fantastic collection.
Wiley's enthusiasm for those bikes is clear and infectious - I was grinning like a maniac throughout! Please add me to the list of people wanting more stories...
Hehe, thanks a lot Brendan! More to come with Wiley 😉 Best wishes, Mike
Another great video, thanks for posting Mike.
My pleasure Vince!!
I had a Cub back 73’ ish, it was a bitter sweet experience. Mine was tuned up and very fast, but a bugger to start and bits fell off and broke left right and center. Great fun but you never knew when you’d get home lol
Stunning 👌
What an excellent collection of Triumph Tiger Cubs. Beautiful feature Mike. Thanks
amazing .
I had a '58 T20, road model with nacelle and rear enclosure a little like the larger "bathtub " model. Rode it to France one summer . Parts were always tricky when I had it, had to make woodruff keys I remember, it used to snap the one on the clutch shaft with its massive power!
Thanks for sharing Edward. Best wishes, Mike
My best buddy in Hi school had one. I had a Norton Electra 400cc. I lo ved the egg shaped tanks on the Triumphs, so I got a Bonneville. Had to sell her when Uncle Sam called me up in Nov. 1967. Sold her and regretted it. Got a Triumph Trophy Sports ( Single Carb. Bonne. ) now, but quit riding because of stupid a-holes on smart arse [hones trying to kill me ! All 4 of my bikes are garage queens now. But this guy has some awesome collection in his kitchen !
Thanks a lot, yeah it’s an amazing collection. Every one of them is perfect. It’s a privilege to see them. Best wishes, Mike
Interesting video Mike. I always had a fondness for the Tiger Cub growing up. Never had one though. I had several friends that bought Tiger Cub's and the found out that they were not highway bikes as the engines all blew up. Of course they fixed them but put them into lighter duty. I am like you though Mike, they sure are a pretty little machine!. There were also a few of the BSA Bantams around back then as well
Thanks to you and Wiley for this look at his collection of scrumptious Cubs. If he were a coin collector, Wiley'd be the guy with a complete run, all dates AND mintmarks, of Mercury Dimes or Buffalo Nickels, or something else just a bit archaic, challenging and even reference-worthy, just like his Cubs. In fact, I wouldn't be the least surprised to learn he WAS also a numismatist. What might surprise many Americans is just how significant those 200cc Cubs were in the British motorcycling landscape back in their day. Unlike here, where their larger capacity twins is where Triumph made their largest mark, shortly after introducing the Cub models in the UK, they changed the motoring laws there, about 1960 or so, to restrict new learner riders to fewer than 250ccs, which they'd have to survive on for at least a year or so before taking the "full test" and being allowed to step up onto anything larger. This rather unintentionally threw the Cubs into a sort of market "sweet spot", making them the object of desire for any red-blooded pimply/spotty teen or young man who wanted something "noice" for a time. My hunch is there must be hordes of geezers about my age yonder in the UK who'd go all misty-eyed with nostalgia if they stumbled into Wiley's garage.
Spotty teens = “yoofs”! Lovely collection of Cubs…..does Wiley run them occasionally?
Thank you Mike! It"s a priviledge seen this spectacular collection!
Que buenas máquinas...saludos Rafa de mardel plata Argentina
Ten minutes and 3 seconds of pure bliss! Thank-you Mike and Wiley so much. Mike, you must follow this up with another interview with Wiley - the sooner the better. I suspect he has a lot of interesting tails to tell...
Back in the day, I had a 1962 T20SH, bought for £25 from a pal at work. I "modified" it for off road use and had hours of fun on it. Happy days...
Many thanks Nigel! I have something in the works already 😉. Best wishes, Mike
Thank you Mike and Wiley! It would be very nice to hear more from someone who was actually employed by Johnson Motors!
Great talk
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed the video. Best wishes.
What can you say? Just a fantastic collection of Tigers..... Why do I think he has another room full of some other model?
😎😎. You're getting warm 😎😎
Hi the swinging arm came out in 1956 also with I larger tank as my friend had one I have a 1954 terrier 150cc Clive lane
Had a bathtub 3ta great olf bike
TOP !
The Cub was my first bike, cost me 10 shillings!
That was second hand mind you😂
Great video, really interesting to get a small insight into these great little bikes. Has made me think about taking one on for my next restoration!
Would he like another one? We’ve had one here collecting dust for 20+ years, complete and original
Can you send me an email with a couple of pics and I will reach out to Wiley? themightygarage@icloud.com Thanks!
question! i see lots of Tiger cub trails bikes on here, but was the tiger cub ever used a dirt bike , or scrambler?
Great video Mike. I had a T20 road going version. It was a pain and cost me an arm and a leg in repair bills but when it ran right it was lovely
hi i bought a new cub in 1963 in Sydney. great bike i put a larger carby on it and it would keep upwith ydsi Yamaha,
Great collection, I have 8 Cubs but they pale in comparison.
Your collection is impressive. I’m familiar with Johnson’s growing up near Duarte. My first ride on a borrowed bike was a 200cc Cub prepped for the SoCal desert. I was hooked. 50 years later I’d like to find a Cub that I could do the same. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Absolutely brilliant Mike. 👏 How do you find these nice interesting guys .. Does this gentleman live near you ? Thanks Mike 😊
Thanks a lot Stephen. Yes, many are local fellas in the vintage motorcycle scene. The Portland and Vancouver (Washington state) vintage motorcycle scene is quite vibrant. Best wishes, Mike
it would be class to have a round cylinder v twin inline split conrod not offset cylinders. it would look mint
please explain where you see a green tank, thank you
It could well be blue, but the bike at 4:51 and 5:35 looks more like a turquoise green/blue than the very blue bike at the end of the row. Cheers
I bought a new Triumph T20SH 'Sports' Cub in '65 and did 26000 miles in 3 years including 2 Isle-of-Man 'TT's and 2 'Dragon' Rallies held in February in wild Wales. A great little bike. Sold it in '69 and bought a BSA 441cc Shooting Star....very disappointing.
Thanks a lot for your note. I appreciate it. Wow, that's amazing mileage on a Cub! Hopefully there's more coming soon on Triumph Tiger cubs. Best wishes, Mike
Do these run and see the road or are these Museum pieces?
They do all run, but they are primary for this private collection for preservation. Cheers Mark
@@TheMightyGarage 👍
Hi I have been trying to buy a tiger cub but they are like rocking horse shit in southern ireland
Hi John, good luck with your search. They pop up from time to time and are not too expensive. I'll let you know if I see any, but the shipping would probably not make it worthwhile. Cheers, Mike
@@TheMightyGarage thanks for getting back to me Mike where abouts in the world are you thanks
@@johnburgess9185 Hi John I’m in Portland, Oregon, USA. I buy a lot of parts from Europe in the UK, but I’ve never shipped a bike one way or the other. I’ve heard interesting stories about guys shipping bikes in pieces 😉
isn't that brilliant This fellow would no Boozefighters MC